Nikola Kompa

Prof. Dr. phil. Nikola Kompa is a University Professor at the Institute of Philosophy, University of Osnabrück, and a member of the Examination Board. Her research spans theoretical philosophy, focusing on the intersection of social/political epistemology and philosophy of language, as well as the co-evolution of language and cognition.

• Habilitation in Philosophy (University of Muenster, 2008)
• PhD in Philosophy (University of Munich, 1998)
• MA in Philosophy (University of Munich, 1996)

Her work investigates how language and thought intertwine, including embodied approaches to language comprehension, the cognitive benefits of inner speech, and the epistemic role of metaphor. She co-authored Language, Cognition, and the Way we Think (Bloomsbury Academic, 2024) and a recent book on bad language (C.H. Beck, 2025).

Kompa leads the DFG-funded Research Training Group Situated Cognition (2017–2026) and co-directs the DFG/FWF project How can we think in a language? (2023–2026). Her outreach includes appearances on 3sat/ZDF and Deutschlandfunk Kultur.

• Prize for Excellence in Academic Research (2009)

Kompa has served on 12 hiring committees (2010–2025) and as speaker for the DFG Review Board Philosophy (2020–2024). She is on the editorial boards of Abstracta, Grazer Philosophische Studien, and other journals.

She actively collaborates with interdisciplinary research groups, including the DFG/FWF Inner Speech project and the RTG Situated Cognition, and has secured grants from DFG, FWF, and international foundations.